With the ever growing popularity of bicycling throughout the world, increased consideration has been given to the desirability of safety standards regarding the ability of bicycle brakes to stop a bicycle within a certain distance, as well as the durability of the various elements of bicycle brakes. Such increased discussion of safety standards has been prompted, among other things, by studies such as that carried out in the United States by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (N.E.I.S.S.). As reported in the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare (H.E.W.) proposed regulations under Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 191 and 191c, 38 Federal Register 12300 (May 10, 1973), the N.E.I.S.S. study estimates that there are more than 1,000,000 accidents annually related to bicycles. The commentary to the proposed H.E.W. regulations also points out that, according to the United States National Safety Council, 38,000 bicycle accidents each year involve motor vehicles, and that over 800 of these accidents result in the death of the bicyclist. Important causes for these accidents are said to be:d (1 ) slippage of the rider's foot off the pedal, (2) brake failure, (3) a component failure, and (4) poor night visibility.
While bicycle riding is enjoyed by people of all ages, the young -- i.e., a child under 16 years of age -- may be especially inexperienced at handling his bicycle in emergencies. Thus, in panic stop situations, if his bicycle is equipped with hand-operated, caliper type brakes, the child may be unable to brake the bicycle properly. Improper braking will result in a longer braking distance, and uncoordinated application of the front and rear brakes may result in a fall for both the rider and the bike.
Prompted in part by the above statistics, the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare has proposed standardized stopping distance criteria for bicycles for use by children under 16 years of age, with the strictest criteria being applicable to bicycles designed for a ground speed of 15 m.p.h. or greater. For the latter category, the stopping distance based on a rider weight of 150 lbs. is 15 feet when the brakes are applied from a velocity of 15 m.p.h. on a dry, level, paved surface. Greater stopping distances are allowed for heavier riders at the rate of 1 ft. per 10 lbs. of rider weight above 150 lbs. Although these criteria are designed to apply to bicycles intended for use by children, they would appear to be useful criteria for all bicycles that are to be used by any riders who are inexperienced. This point is emphasized because although highly experienced cyclists may be able to stop within the proposed criteria, there is a vast number of cyclists over the age of 16 who are by no means highly experienced in using hand brakes in spite of the fact that they may ride their bicycles quite frequently.